News: The 2018/19 Season Preview, Discussion & Review Thread [R]

United must address it's defensive issues in order to close the gap with City.

www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11445486/manchester-united-must-address-defensive-problems-to-close-gap-on-manchester-city

That was always true (even if it was only part of the story) and what was hoped going to seriously addressed this summer. Always believed that strengthening the defense significantly, would give Mourinho the confidence to open things up on the offensive end.
I believe it to be a cop out, to a certain extant, but I think it's part of the reason for Mourinho's very conservative approach. We really needed IMO, to replace 3/4 of the backline with new players (2 FBs and a CB). Would have even settled for 2.
Bringing only Dalot so far, who is not necessarily expected to play a big role this season, is kind of a failure on the club's part...

 

Valencia has returned to Manchester with a suspected torn calf. As it stands now Darmian is our first choice RB to start the season....oof.

 

This season just has that doomed feeling about it.

 

It really is a no-brainer that Mourinho should be playing Timmy at RB for the remainder of the tour to find out, if nothing else, if he can potentially be a viable option for us.
If he persists on going with Darmian, starting tonight, then we can throw our hands up because it simply does not make any sense. That's what I mean when I have said before that while reinforcements are needed, there are solutions to some of our problems already in the squad, if Mourinho will only bother to take a chance for once...

 

TFM
Tuanzebe
Bailly

^^^^ all can and should play RB ahead of Darmian.

 

Few random thoughts;

- going to have to defend set-pieces better this season than we did for example against Bayern, starting Friday against Leicester

- Mou comments about _some_ players coming back early from hols (Jones, Rash + more recently Lins, Rom) seemed aimed at Pogs, but anyone heard of any news of Fellaini coming back from hols? (should I be surprised the press focus this all on Pogs?)

- Mou has plenty to answer to (as covered at length elsewhere) but he does have a point it seems about Ed - for example recently read that he didn't get Perisic over the line last year because we offered 35m and Inter wanted 38m - if true then given the inflation etc. since then and our deadness at RWF, crazy for a club like us to have lost a deal for a starting 11 target over a difference of 3m (whatever you think of Perisic)

 

I've never felt this negative going into a season. From the transfers, to the coach, to the current squad there's just nothing to be excited about. Best case we bore teams and fans to death and finish 3rd, worst case Jose implodes and were out of Europe next season again.

If it means no more Jose, I'm hoping for the latter.

 

Did anyone set up a fantasy league for this season yet?

 

Yes. Check the random thread.

We should that post elsewhere though.

 

Our best game of preseason...

 

That must've been scripted because Jose smiled and Smalling won a header in the box.

 

This is going to be another worst season for the Portuguese man

 

Fred is the only great addition have seen so far

 

Agreed. Set piece defending must improve. Despite makeshift -- or as some might put it, makeshit -- back lines our defensive record was actually pretty respectable. We can thank De Gea for all that if we like but De Gea is still on the squad. But set piece defending butchered us last season and if we don't clean that up we'll struggle to compete for the trophy.

Our WC players need their rest and if they didn't take the break they needed in the summer we'd all pay for it in the spring. The price of having players who went deep into the WC.

Who really knows what's going on between Edward and Jose but if it's true we missed out on Perisic over a measly 3m then there really is a problem.

Mourinho has always created a weird carnival atmosphere around him, most of the time winning major trophies. I'd worry less about comments made to the media and more about whether we beat clubs we're supposed to beat. It's all about what happens on the pitch.

 

Our squad numbers for 2018/19 have been revealed: https://t.co/aLiOA7txUb pic.twitter.com/xgUsoLZPDV

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 10, 2018

 

The #5 "vacated" by Rojo is wanted by some old guy

Just seen my old @ManUtd no.5 shirt is back up for grabs.... inspired...time to get back training! Jose???!!! ☎️🤣📞 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Rrq7Vg1Qix

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) August 10, 2018

 

It's more like Rojo is leaving permanently to another club outside England.

 

My week 1 random thoughts:

I just realized that the Courtouis move was a double win for us. Now we don't have to hear about Real making a move for DDG and Chelsea is weaker for it.

Watching us yesterday, I notice Jose plays us in a 4312. Where the RW should be in a front 3, Jose has them come inside and under the attacking LW and CF. That is why he has Mata and Lingard over there over true attackers.

I really wish Mou would just cut the nonsense and play a front three of Martial, Lukaku and Alexis. I would have never wanted to get Alexis, if this was the plan. We could play a deep line and have our midfielders break up play and get the ball to a relatively interchangeable front 3 that would be devastating on the break. I am confident the likes of Pogba, Fred and AP could make the long pass to a dangerous front 3 in space so they could do damage. Plus we would have Rashford off the bench. That is a very good rotation of forwards.

Seeing Shaw score and play overall was a positive. This is a contract year for Shaw as they say in the US so hopefully he puts it together and Mou gives him a chance. It may take this injury to Tony V or one to AY but it maybe what he needs to force the manager's hand. I also feel like this is what it will take for Martial to get a break. Maybe we can loan Martial out to get his confidence up again.

Seeing Shaw play well reminded me that the year Chelsea played so well under Mou, the 2ND time around, it was a miracle season as almost every player, to a man, played to their potential. If guys like Shaw and Lindelof, AP and the like play to their potential, then we can win this league, if it is that type of year.

 

Well well. Sounds like United just briefed to the Guardian we are finally going to appoint a DoF once we finish a current expansion at Carrington.

Wonder how long that will take.

 

Who will be available? This will be a huge appointment. I hope they bring someone the believes in using the academy.

 

They need to bring someone who wants to make it work with Mourinho. That's a priority for the sake of this season.

Then the director needs to have total understanding of how we want to play as a team and hires accordingly. I am talking about the attacking style.

Shrewd in the market.

Focuses on academy talent by restricting buys. Too much talent there.

 

I dunno about the rest of you, but the combination of our play, the play and squad improvment from Pool and City was pretty depressing. Oh and Chelsea and Spurs are both probably are looking slightly better than us as well.

5th or 6th with a Jose meltdown and sacking seems like a fairly likely outcome at this point. To make 4th we are basically hoping that one of the other teams drops the ball.

 

Throw big money at Rangnick, Berta, and Monchi.

 

Why is Monchi not a good choice? The culture he built at Sevilla, players he brought in, and trophies they won speak for itself. He's widely regarded to be the one responsible for most of it. When he took over they had just been relegated and had something like 4 trophies in thier history. During his time there they won 3 straight EL titles, went to something like 14 finals in a 10 year span, and made a profit on their transfer dealings each year. That's pretty damn impressive.

 

Well that will be the case with almost any director of football we bring in. We're one of the biggest (if not the biggest) club in the world in terms of market value and visibility. The big clubs near are size that have notable DOF are Juve and City. Were not getting Txiki (wouldn't want him) and Morata isn't leaving Juve anytime soon.

Who would you have us bring in?